Firefly Aerospace as early as Wednesday morning Pacific Standard Time plans to launch a payload built by Lockheed Martin
[LMT] in a mission showcasing rapid responsive space operations by both companies.
The electronically steered antenna (ESA) payload will be launched aboard an Alpha launch vehicle from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., with the daily 20-minute launch window open at 9:18 a.m. PST on Dec. 20 with backup launch dates through Dec. 22. The Alpha FLTA004 mission is dubbed “Fly the Lightning.”
Lockheed Martin in late November said its goal with the upcoming mission is to demonstrate that it can quickly calibrate a new sensor on-orbit in a fraction of the time than the usual, so that it can begin operating quickly. The ESA payload is integrated on a Terran Orbital [LLAP]-built Nebula small satellite bus.
Firefly said that in addition to launching the satellite, a secondary mission is to reduce the working hours its team needs from receipt of the spacecraft to launch readiness compared to the VICTUS NOX tactically responsive space mission it launched for the U.S. Space Force in September.
For VICTUS NOX, Firefly lifted a Millennium Space Systems-built satellite into low-Earth orbit aboard an Alpha launch vehicle after achieving launch-ready status within the 24-hour goal of launch notice. The satellite achieved checkout and operational readiness within 37 hours after launch, 11 hours ahead of the two-day goal. Millennum is a Boeing [BA] business.
“On the heels of our successful Alpha launch for the U.S. Space Force, the Firefly team will continue to push the limits and set new standards in the industry, operating at a rapid pace for Alpha FLTA004 and future missions in response to the needs of our customers,” Bill Weber, Firefly’s CEO, said in a statement. “This team is utilizing lessons from our VICTUS NOX mission to fundamentally change how quickly both government and commercial customers can process their payloads and launch assets to space.”
Firefly said the “Fly the Lightning” mission is being observed by members of the Space Force Tactically Responsive Space Team to learn lessons and inform requirements and future missions as the service targets repeatable on-demand launches.
“We’re now focused on transforming Tactically Responsive Space from a groundbreaking achievement into a repeatable capability,” Lt. Col. Justin Beltz, material leader and chief of the Space Force’s Small Launch and Targets Division, said in a statement. “By partnering with Firefly to observe Alpha FLT004, we can continue to build synergy with commercial industry and further define the training, infrastructure, and operational requirements for long-term repeatability.”
Lockheed Martin’s “Tantrum” payload is the first of its self-funded technology demonstration through its Ignite organization, and went from early architecture to flight-ready within two years. Ignite, which resides within the company’s Space segment, is focused on exploratory research and development at speed, and introducing new and innovative products.
The launch will occur from Firefly’s SLC-2 complex at Vandenberg where the company’s new payload processing facility also for rapid fueling and payload integration in a clean room environment.